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Health
FireFlyz | 69
EvenWestern medicine is coming round to the idea that yoga improves health, heals aches
and pains and keeps illness away. Fireflyz looks at some of the surprising benefits that can be
gained from this ancient practice.
A Salute To The Sun
Boost Immunity
A recent Norwegian study found that
yoga practice results in changes in gene
expressionthatboost immunityatacellular
level. The researchers believe the changes
occurredwhileparticipantswerestill onthe
mat, and the changes were significantly
greater thanacontrol groupwhowentona
naturehikewhilelisteningtosoothingmusic.
Improves your flexibility
Improved flexibility is one of the first and
mostobviousbenefitsofyoga. Duringyour
first class, you probably won’t be able to
touchyour toes, neverminddoabackbend.
But if you stick with it and you will notice a
gradual loosening, and eventually, seem-
inglyimpossibleposeswillbecomepossible.
You will also probably notice that aches
and pains start to disappear. Tight hips
can strain the knee joint due to improper
alignmentof thethighandshinbones. Tight
hamstrings can lead to a flattening of the
lumbar spine, which can cause back pain.
And inflexibility in muscles and connective
tissue, such as fascia and ligaments, can
cause poor posture.
Improvedsleep
ResearchconductedatHarvardUniversity,
USA, found that eight weeks of daily yoga
significantly improved sleep quality for
people with insomnia. And another study
found that twice-weekly yoga sessions
helped cancer survivors sleep better and
feel less fatigued.
This can be attributed to yoga’s ability
to help people deal with stress. Sleep is-
sues are like anxiety. Your head can’t stop
spinningandyoudonotknowhowtorelax.
Breathing and mental exercises allow the
mind to slowdown, which leads to a better
sleep.
Protects your spine
Spinaldisks—theshockabsorbersbetween
the vertebrae that can herniate and com-
pressnerves—cravemovement.That’s the
onlywaytheygettheirnutrients. Ifyouhave
got a well-balanced asana practice with
plenty of backbends, forward bends, and
twists, youwill helpkeepyour diskssupple.
Fight FoodCravings
Researchers fromtheUniversity ofWash-
ington found that regular yoga practice is
associated with mindful eating, an aware-
ness of physical and emotional sensations
associatedwith eating.
By causing breath awareness, regular
yoga practice strengthens the mind-body
connection. The awareness can help you
tune in to emotions involved with certain
cravings, and yoga breathing exercises
can help you slow down and make better
choiceswhen cravings strike.
Drops your bloodpressure
Thosewhosuffer fromhighbloodpressure
may benefit from yoga. Two studies of
people with hypertension, published in
the British medical journal The Lancet,
comparedtheeffectsofSavasana (Corpse
Pose) with simply lying on a couch.
Afterthreemonths,Savasanawasasso-
ciatedwitha26-pointdrop insystolicblood
pressure (the top number) and a 15-point
drop indiastolicbloodpressure(thebottom
number).
Helps you focus
Animportantcomponentofyogaisfocusing
on the present. Studies have found that
regular yoga practice improves coordina-
tion, reaction time, memory, and even IQ
scores.PeoplewhopracticeTranscendental
Meditationdemonstratetheabilitytosolve
problemsandacquireandrecall information
better, probably because they are less
distracted by their thoughts.